by Betsy Herbert

My big trip round-the-world trip started on April 10 when left Santa Cruz for Portland to visit friends before flying to Vancouver, B.C. My dear friends Dave and Teri live in Alsea, Oregon, a rural village some 25 miles west of Corvallis. Dave teaches physics at Oregon State University and Teri is a craftsperson, cook and organic gardener. I feel blessed: Teri took time out from all of her projects to knit me a pair of socks!

I love hanging out at their farmhouse. It’s peaceful and it feels like home, despite the extensive brown clear-cuts that quilt the surrounding green hills.